Physicochemical properties of manganese oxides obtained via the sol–gel method: The reduction of potassium permanganate by polyvinyl alcohol

Abstract

Experimental data on the sol–gel synthesis of manganese oxides formed during the reduction of potassium permanganate by polyvinyl alcohol in an aqueous medium are presented. The physicochemical properties of the obtained manganese oxide systems that depend on the conditions of the synthesis are studied by means of DTA, XRD, SEM, and the low temperature adsorption–desorption of nitrogen. It is found that the obtained samples have a mesoporous structure and predominantly consist of double potassium–manganese oxide K₂Mn₄O₈ with a tunnel structure and impurities of oxides such as α-MnO₂, MnO, α-Mn₂O₃, and Mn₅O₈. It is shown that the proposed method of synthesis allows us to regulate the size and volume of mesopores and, to a lesser extent, the texture of the obtained oxides, which can be considered promising sorbents for the selective extraction of strontium and cesium ions from multicomponent aqueous solutions.